


North

by rxseinbloom



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Babies!, Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Spencer is Afraid of Thunderstorms, The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury, They love each other, Thunderstorms, but Derek is the Best bf, they do be cuddling though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:41:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24912517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rxseinbloom/pseuds/rxseinbloom
Summary: As the next strike of lightning illuminates the room, Spencer feels tears prick in the corners of his eyes.Fuck, he really hates thunderstorms.
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid
Comments: 6
Kudos: 248





	North

**Author's Note:**

> Title from North by Sleeping At Last  
> 

Spencer is startled awake from his first free night of sleep in weeks by a clap of thunder louder than a gunshot. Well, not _technically_ louder than a gunshot, _124 versus 160 decibels, respectively,_ but the way his entire body tenses up is the same in both situations. Sighing, he shifts slightly, hoping he can fall asleep again before the next strike. (He knows that’s impossible, but a man can dream, okay?)

As the next strike of lightning illuminates the room, Spencer feels tears prick in the corners of his eyes. 

_Fuck, he really hates thunderstorms._

He’s never really understood _why_ he hates them so much; something about the way they always seem to be worse at night, the way they’re practically unpredictable past a certain degree, the unmitigated destruction that severe weather can cause… it all just sets him on edge, jaw clenched tightly and hands holding onto his stuffed animal like a lifeline.

As he glances over at his boyfriend sleeping peacefully beside him, Spencer is all at once struck by how _childish_ he’s being. It’s just a _storm,_ for godssake. He’s done plenty of research on cool fronts and updrafts. He _knows_ the science behind thunderstorms, so he should be fine, right? He’s _fine_. 

Another clap of thunder has him jumping so hard he accidentally kicks Derek, the tears in his eyes falling freely as he bites down so hard on his bottom lip that he draws blood. He knows immediately that he is _most certainly not fine_.

“Spencer?” Derek asks, concerned. His voice is still slurred with sleep, but his sudden alertness is obvious in the way he sits up instantly, eyes scanning the room. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“N-nothing. It’s fine. Go back to sleep.” Spencer lies, voice shaking. Another thunderclap, and he makes a small, scared noise, inhaling sharply through his nose and curling more tightly in on himself.

“Hey, none of that now, pretty boy.” Derek turns to Spencer, worry evident in his deep brown eyes. “Is it the storm? Are you scared?”

Hesitantly, Spencer nods, continuing to chew at his lip despite the sharp pain. Derek huffs out a breath, and Spencer can’t help but feel that it hides a soft laugh. “Don’t patronize me.” He mumbles, turning away. “Two to three percent of the population suffers from astraphobia – a subset of the environmental phobias. It’s not that uncommon.” He’s not sure if he’s trying to convince Derek or himself at this point, but he feels a soft hand on his shoulder, squeezing reassuringly and encouraging him to roll over to face the older man.

“ _Hey_. I wasn’t making fun of you. You’re gonna be okay.” Derek pulls on Spencer’s arm slightly, and he sits up, facing his boyfriend but still gripping the sheets tightly in his shaking hands.

Derek leans forward and places a soft, consoling kiss to Spencer’s chapped lips. Spencer tries to deepen the kiss, raising his hand to place it on the side of the other man’s neck, but Derek stiffens and pulls away. 

Spencer panics for a moment, looking up at Derek hesitantly as he wipes Spencer’s mouth and reaches over to turn on the bedside table lamp. “Blood? You bite your lip _that_ hard, baby?”

Nodding, he touches the bite softly with his tongue, wincing as Derek runs his thumb across his bottom lip, pulling softly to press a tissue to the bleeding. Spencer squeezes his eyes shut, so he doesn’t see the next bolt of lightning, but he hears the thunder, practically jumping forward to press himself against Derek’s warm chest. 

Burying his face in the crook of his boyfriend’s shoulder, Spencer sighs, adjusting so he’s practically in his lap, both leaning back against the headboard.

Pulling the tissue away from his bottom lip, Spencer touches the cut again and finds it already scabbing over, the skin stiff and a little sticky. 

_Gross_. 

Spencer turns and tosses the tissue in the garbage before pressing his lips to Derek’s pulse point, wasting no time before sucking lightly and reaching down to lift the other man’s hand to rest in his messy hair. Derek reacts immediately, running his fingers through the soft locks and tugging slightly, detaching Spencer’s lips and shifting their positions so his slender, lithe neck is exposed instead. “If you needed a distraction, you could’ve just asked.”

Grinning, Derek presses his lips to a spot just below Spencer’s ear, a spot that never fails to make him whimper and tremble in Derek’s embrace. Already wound too tightly from the storm, Spencer doesn’t tease like he normally would, instead sliding down helplessly to lay back against the pillows, kissing back hungrily despite the slight pain in his lip. He runs his hands over Derek’s broad shoulders, scratching down his back lightly as teeth nip sharply at the crook of his neck.

He presses his hand against the back of Derek’s head, asking him with a whine for more pressure, _more_ ; he wants to see the purple marks in the morning. He always does. He finds himself crying out softly, (albeit still embarrassingly) as Derek leaves a mark directly over his pulse, racing from more than just the storm. Wrapping a long leg around the back of Derek’s thigh, he pulls their waists flush, pressing his hips up and continuing to force their lips together almost harshly. They kiss for what could be minutes, could almost be hours, and Spencer is almost able to forget about the storm raging outside. _Almost._

Another flash of lightning has him tensing, bracing himself for the thunder that always follows. As wonderful as kissing his boyfriend is, he’s still afraid. As he starts to push away, Derek braces both sides of his face with his hands, staring into his eyes and taking a deep breath, silently asking Spencer to do the same. 

“Not distraction enough, hm?” His brown eyes are calm, soothing, just the slightest bit of mirth at the corners as he looks down at Spencer, still breathing hard. Finding no patience for teasing in the hazel eyes beneath him, he softens, pressing a kiss to Spencer’s furrowed brow before rolling to the side and standing up.

Spencer flexes his neck, already feeling the stiffness from the small bruises littered down the sides of his throat and collarbones. _That’ll do,_ he thinks with a smirk, sitting up to watch as Derek stretches, illuminated by another flash of lightning.

The following thunder is so loud he barely hears Derek say his name, followed by “I’m gonna get you some water, okay?” He nods softly, pulling the blanket tightly around himself and grabbing his book and glasses off the nightstand.

 _The Illustrated Man,_ always one of his favorites. It had been tainted for a while after their case in Tallahassee a few years ago, but he’d found he could pick it up again once he’d gotten a few tattoos of his own. He traces one now with his free hand, the bundle of lilac and lavender inked in the crook of his arm. He’d gotten it with Emily one night, when they were both bored and in the mood for an “adventure.” 

Glancing up, he sees Derek leaning against the doorframe, a soft smile on his face. “Why are you staring at me?”

“No reason,” he says with a soft laugh, making his way over to the bed, “You’re just…one of the only people I know who’d choose to read a book like _that_ when they’re already scared.” Setting the glass on the table and pressing a soft kiss to Spencer’s temple, he settles back against the pillows.

“Actually, it’s not really a thriller. It explores the juxtaposition of cold machinery and the ‘warmth’ of humankind, space travel, nuclear armageddon, really a little bit of everything. You know, Bradbury was known for his attachment to science fiction scenarios that he thought could practically become reality. Frankly, I think a few of them have gotten eerily close.” He’s thankful for the distraction the analysis brings him, and Derek is looking up at him with an expression so soft he thinks he may melt. Taking a careful drink of water, Spencer swishes the lingering taste of blood from his tongue and shakes his head to clear the last of the blur of pain.

The storm has begun to fade away, leaving only faint thunder and the hazy, static sound of rain pouring down the windowpane. He’s only read about thirty pages since Derek left the room – he’d been distracted – but he places his bookmark and lies down, his back to his boyfriend and arms hugging himself. A soft nudge to Derek’s shin has him moving forward to wrap strong arms around Spencer’s sharp frame, one cradling his neck and the other resting protectively on his waist as their legs tangle together under the sheets.

A soft kiss graces the side of his neck over a still-forming bruise and Spencer hisses softly, earning a chuckle from behind him. He feels Derek smile against his shoulder, whispering “Hey, you asked for it,” and pulling him impossibly closer to his chest.

The breathing behind him evens out quickly, soft and rhythmic against Spencer’s back, and he finds himself drifting off not far after, listening to the rain fall and feeling unconditionally, impossibly safe.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, I'm a slut for feedback ;)  
> I highly suggest reading The Illustrated Man! It's a trip and a half but a lot of the stories really are eerily relevant to today.


End file.
